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Salary · Meteorologist · United States

Meteorologist salary: $99,070 median, and how to negotiate yours.

The full pay range by percentile, every state, the top-paying metro areas and similar roles, from the latest BLS survey. Place your own offer on the range.

Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025
Annual wage range · U.S. · BLS May 2025
$99,070median ($47.63/hr)

Quick answer

The median annual wage for atmospheric and space scientists in the United States was $99,070 in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $53,060 and the top 10% earned more than $161,890. That median is 1.9 times the $50,980 median for all occupations. The highest-paying state was Maryland ($128,800).

Data Government data groups this job as Atmospheric and Space Scientists (O*NET-SOC 19-2021.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

10th percentile
$53,060
lowest-paid 10% earn less
25th percentile
$73,350
a quarter earn less
75th percentile
$129,960
a quarter earn more
90th percentile
$161,890
top 10% earn more
Pay by state

Meteorologist salary in every state

Data BLS state estimates, May 2025. 47 states and DC published a median for this occupation. Sort by pay or by number employed.

Highest median pay
  1. Maryland$128,800
  2. California$124,920
  3. Hawaii$121,010
  4. New Jersey$120,180
  5. Idaho$119,430
Most people employed
  1. Colorado1,150
  2. Maryland750
  3. Texas720
  4. California510
  5. Oklahoma420
Median annual wage by state
State10th–90th percentile
Maryland$128,800$83,230–$168,460750
California$124,920$82,900–$175,900510
Hawaii$121,010$82,930–$160,33070
New Jersey$120,180$64,210–$190,78060
Idaho$119,430$61,110–$153,57050
New York$117,540$58,670–$300,530370
Florida$115,960$52,980–$172,410270
Arizona$115,020$63,920–$156,50080
Missouri$114,230$60,740–$147,640160
Illinois$112,280$51,710–$211,910110
Oregon$112,260$65,830–$149,060100
New Mexico$110,070$61,760–$161,89060
Kansas$109,300$49,940–$139,21080
Nevada$109,300$64,990–$191,150120
Montana$108,890$61,110–$136,99070
Massachusetts$108,050$71,290–$166,140n/a
Minnesota$106,270$61,620–$149,34050
Colorado$104,670$76,110–$165,5001,150
District of Columbia$103,860$95,870–$207,38070
Maine$103,710$51,170–$153,91050
Indiana$103,680$67,430–$155,00080
Kentucky$103,240$54,540–$166,960100
Michigan$103,210$49,580–$151,110150
Wyoming$99,940$63,500–$132,18040
Louisiana$97,470$49,940–$136,99070
Georgia$96,820$47,260–$150,300170
Utah$96,520$53,060–$126,440170
Tennessee$96,190$77,580–$137,880230
Washington$94,400$76,440–$160,750190
Alaska$94,380$61,150–$135,030n/a
North Carolina$91,560$49,940–$136,990170
North Dakota$91,560$48,570–$136,99040
Wisconsin$85,870$61,110–$135,670280
Connecticut$85,110$69,370–$234,10050
Texas$84,990$46,370–$131,750720
Virginia$83,880$68,770–$179,050350
South Carolina$82,240$60,200–$136,990150
Alabama$81,080$47,330–$151,300340
West Virginia$80,690$41,650–$136,99040
South Dakota$78,900$63,350–$129,960130
Ohio$78,580$62,990–$142,690160
Iowa$76,850$50,300–$139,170100
Oklahoma$76,480$44,660–$136,990420
Pennsylvania$75,890$49,750–$156,750160
Arkansas$71,940$65,610–$216,310n/a
Nebraska$60,540$57,140–$136,970160
New Hampshire$42,820$40,350–$65,100130
Top-paying metro areas

Where the median is highest

Data Metropolitan areas with at least 100 people employed in the occupation, BLS May 2025.

  1. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD$128,800
  2. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$128,790
  3. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$122,700
  4. Boulder, CO$121,870
  5. Kansas City, MO-KS$117,810
  6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$117,600
  7. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$111,790
  8. Fort Collins-Loveland, CO$110,960
  9. Madison, WI$107,970
  10. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$103,080
Similar roles

How the pay compares

Data National medians for related occupations (O*NET related roles, BLS pay).

  1. Physicist$172,250
  2. Astronomer$128,820
  3. Data Scientist$120,230
  4. Geologist$101,920
  5. Meteorologist$99,070
  6. Environmental Scientist$82,220
Negotiation script builder

Ask for more, calmly and in writing

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Our view If you cite market data, cite this page's source: the BLS median for your state and the percentile your offer sits at. A specific, sourced number is easier to agree to than a feeling.

Method

How this page is built

Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 (national, state and metropolitan area), for the occupation shown. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: they include base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips, and exclude overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation, not entry or senior levels.

What this page can't tell you
  • Pay at a specific employer, or for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Experience level: percentiles are not seniority bands.
  • Equity, bonuses outside OEWS's definition, and benefits.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
  2. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
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